How to grow your own peas

We all have our Achilles heel. For a politician it might be
taking a helicopter. For Derek Zoolander it's turning left. Mine is
picking peas before they've grown beyond a bite-sized pod because
they're the ultimate vegetable snackage.

There are few tastier times in the patch than when peas are in
full bloom and those sweet, crunchy snacks litter the
foliage.

Their bounty aside, peas also provide benefits to the garden by
injecting the soil with nitrogen. After those greedy summer
vegetables - tomatoes, sweetcorn, zucchini - the soil is depleted
of that essential element and in need of replenishment.

Planting peas in the spaces that these crops once occupied helps
redress the balance because, along with broad beans and other
legumes, peas produce nitrogen as they grow. So, by planting peas
in May, you're repairing the patch's soil for the next
spring-summer assault. They therefore deserve a special place in
the garden.

Don't overwork the soil before planting peas; the most important
job is ensuring it's free-draining, and add only a moderate amount
of compost to reinvigorate it. The other main task is establishing
a trellis structure for pea tendrils to climb. Without a suitable
framework, their growth will be stunted, as will the growing
success.

Choose a sunny space for peas. They produce flowers to form their
pods, so their need for light is greater than other cool-season
contenders such as brassicas, roots and leafy greens. Try to place
peas at the back of a north-facing patch, the sun now being lower
on the horizon. This ensures that smaller plants aren't shaded,
much like placing taller people at the back of the concert hall and
shorter people towards the front, so nobody misses the
action.

Before planting the seeds, soak them in water overnight. This
helps loosen the hard coating and gives the seed a reserve of
moisture to draw upon during germination. Sow them in holes two to
three centimetres deep and about 15 centimetres apart, planting two
seeds per hole in case one fails to sprout. If both seeds
germinate, cull the weakest once it's big enough to be pulled out
without disturbing the other plant.

Water thoroughly upon planting, and every second day after that.
Unlike smaller seeds that sit closer to the surface and need
frequent small bursts of water, peas sit deeper in the soil and are
therefore more incubated. Overwatering heightens the risk of the
seed rotting, making them susceptible to rodents as a tasty
midnight snack.

When the plants are three to four weeks old, add three to five
centimetres of sugarcane mulch to lock in moisture and keep the
soil temperature even. As with any vegetable, the cosier the soil
environment, the better peas grow, and the timing of mulching plays
an important role here.

As peas grow, they may need a little help hanging on to the
trellis. Sometimes tendrils will attach themselves easily, but they
may flail about looking for support. Some gentle guidance is all
that's necessary - the tendrils will do the rest.

After two or three months of growth, the peas flower and start to
form pods. A splash of liquid potash aids this process. The other
option is to snip off the highest tendrils to help the plant focus
energy on production rather than more growth.

The difference between a tiny bite-sized pod and a mouthful is
about two weeks, making the compromise between taste and yield
tricky. But harvesting frees up your plants to produce more, so
pluck a few pods to keep the good times rolling.

EVOLUTION THEORY
Humankind has spent a lot of energy trying to invent the
definitive possum deterrent, sonar devices (that freak out your
dog) and funky sprays among them. Yet we realise now that possums
are a lot like us - they're quick to evolve. That's right, possums
now love chillies, and the chilli sprays that used to sting the
critters are now a spicy aphrodisiac. What this tells us is that we
need to keep evolving, too, or resort to an impenetrable form of
defence.

NET WORTH
Netting is the best barrier between possums and your patch. While
notoriously clumsy and unsightly, our system has now evolved so it
looks good and is more user-friendly.